Bikan History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

• Origins Available:
• England

Etymology of Bikan

The name Bikan first arose amongst the Anglo-Saxon tribes of Britain. It is derived from their having lived in Bikome, a town in the county of Somerset.

Early Origins of the Bikan family

Early History of the Bikan family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Bikan research. Another 77 words (6 lines of text) covering the years 1350, 1743, 1747, 1758 and 1769 are included under the topic Early Bikan History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Bikan Spelling Variations

One relatively recent invention that did much to standardize English spelling was the printing press. However, before its invention even the most literate people recorded their names according to sound rather than spelling. The spelling variations under which the name Bikan has appeared include Bickham, Bickam, Bigham, Biggam, Bigholme, Bighone, Begholm, Beghome, Biggem and many more.

Early Notables of the Bikan family

George Bickham the Elder (d. 1769), writing-master and engraver, born about the end of the seventeenth century. "He was the most celebrated penman of his time, and published in 1743 a folio volume entitled 'The Universal Penman . . . exemplified in all the useful and ornamental branches of modern Penmanship." 2 His...
Another 52 words (4 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Bikan Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Bikan family

At this time, the shores of the New World beckoned many English families that felt that the social climate in England was oppressive and lacked opportunity for change. Thousands left England at great expense in ships that were overcrowded and full of disease. A great portion of these settlers never survived the journey and even a greater number arrived sick, starving, and without a penny. The survivors, however, were often greeted with greater opportunity than they could have experienced back home. These English settlers made significant contributions to those colonies that would eventually become the United States and Canada. An examination of early immigration records and passenger ship lists revealed that people bearing the name Bikan arrived in North America very early: Richard Bickham who settled in Barbados in 1685; George Bickham settled in Philadelphia in 1830; Margaret Biggam settled in Charles Town, South Carolina in 1767.